A Helping Hand
by elfmaiden4legs
Summary: A couple of weeks after Danny and Du Plessie's discharge from hospital after Hobe's attack an old friend pays the Trevanion's a visit, and offers a helping hand from unexpected places!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Hibbit!" Danny smiled in surprise as Nomsa showed the Trevanion's visitor into the living room one hot summer's morning. The vet was sitting with his leg propped up against the coffee table, his wife Sarah tucked under his arm where he'd wrapped her into a light and loving embrace, her head nestled into his chest. It had only been two weeks since Danny and Du Plessie had been discharged from the hospital after the recent lion attack, and although rare to find the vet taking advantage of such a moment of rest and relaxation, his injuries and bruising were still sore, and he'd been making more of an effort to find more time to take it easy. "This is a surprise." He smiled, as he got rather stiffly to his feet, and made his way over, hand extended in greeting.

"I hope you don't mind the interruption Danny." Hibbet smiled, accepting his outreached arm as the pair shook hands. "I probably should have called before turning up." He explained. "But I heard about what happened and…"

"Don't mention it." Danny reassured him with this however. "You're welcome here anytime."

"Who's this?" Sarah asked as she came up beside her husband, wrapping her arm in a gesture of both affection and protection around his waist as she approached.

Danny faltered. "Sarah." He grinned. "This is Hibbet, an old friend!" Before turning back to their guest. "This is Sarah my wife." He explained.

"Pleased to meet you." Hibbet smiled as the man and woman both shook hands, Sarah's smile an expression of immediate welcome and acceptance.

With this Nomsa quietly departed, not before managing to subtly catch Danny's attention however. "I'll bring in some iced tea and lemonade," She suggested, "and there's some fresh fruit buns calling in the kitchen."

"Thanks Nomsa." Danny smiled. "That is unless you'd prefer something stronger?" He offered Hibbet.

"Iced tea would be just fine." The other man nodded however, before adding. "Thank you Nomsa." In a gesture of polite gratitude as the older woman nodded in acknowledgment before vacating the room.

"I'll just go and tell my mum we have visitor's." Sarah excused herself, before, as the two were left alone, Hibbet turned back to Danny again.

"I'm sorry." He apologised. "How are you?"

"Well, better than Du Plessie." Danny explained. "It was critical for a while, but he's pulled through. He'll be unable to work for months though. He bore the fullest brunt of the attack."

Hibbet's head bowed regretfully with this. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "I heard he'd been ill, I hoped it wasn't anything too serious."

"Angina." Danny explained. "He didn't really stand a chance when Hobe attacked us. But he's a proud man, and he's doing much better now, making a nice steady recovery, the doctor's are very pleased with him."

"Hang on, Hobe?" Hibbet asked.

"Caroline, and you are?" The pair turned however as they were suddenly interrupted by another, female voice.

"Caroline." Danny smiled in greeting. "This is Hibbet, an old friend, Hibbet, this is Caroline, my mother-in-law… She's the one we have to thank for keeping a close eye on Du Plessie." He smiled.

"And it's be easier to keep tabs on a sick mule." She laughed.

Hibbet smiled. "Where is the old man?" He asked.

"In bed." Caroline explained. "At least he was when I left him a moment ago."

"Can I see him?" Hibbet asked. "Is he up to visitors?"

"Of course." Danny smiled, "Caroline, could you show him top Du Plessie's room please?"

She smiled, and nodded, before instructing Hibbet. "Come on, this way." As Danny followed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As Hibbet entered Du Plessie's room a moment later he saw the man struggling to get out of bed from over Caroline's shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing Andres?" She asked, scoldingly as she hurried over to the side of the bed immediately, lifting the other man's legs back onto the mattress and covering him over again.

"What does it look like I'm doing woman?" Du Plessie protested. "I'm getting up, I'm bored stiff lying here!"

"You're supposed to be resting!" Caroline explained sternly.

"Rubbish woman, nothing wrong with me." He snapped, attempting to get out of bed again. Hibbet smiled as Caroline pushed him back down onto the mattress again however, as, Caroline's arms folded and eyebrows raised, Du Plessie finally had to admit defeat.

"Besides you have a visitor." She explained, as she settled him back down again, fluffing his pillows and tucking his sheets tightly around him, much to Du Plessie's obvious annoyance.

"Oh, who?" He asked.

"Hello Du Plessie." Hibbet smiled in greeting at this, his presence which had previously gone unnoticed by the older man now acknowledged as Du Plessie frowned in surprise to see the man standing before him.

"Hibbet?" He asked.

"We'll leave you to it." Danny faltered, as Caroline made for the door, and with this Du Plessie nodded, closing it behind them as the vet and the mother-in-law departed.

The two stood in silence for a moment before Hibbet finally broke the silence between them. "I should have called before visiting." He explained. "I just heard what happened, and…"

"It's alright." Du Plessie sighed. "You don't have to explain… thank you." He smiled.

With this Hibbet too smiled, returning the gesture. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"As I said, nothing wrong with me." Du Plessie laughed. "Nothing a bottle of the old tonic couldn't fix at any rate." He sighed.

"Tonic?" Hibbet frowned.

"Beer!" Du Plessie explained. "If she didn't keep hiding it from me that is." He complained.

Hibbet smiled with this, all be it briefly, as his expression quickly fell into one of regret and melancholy. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "Danny told me it was Hobe who attacked you."

"Don't even go there…" Du Plessie warned, sensing the sudden change in conversation. "These things happen. It could have been any lion."

"Even so…" Hibbet faltered.

"Hobe's a good boy." Du Plessie stated finally. "He's been raised well. You have nothing to feel responsible for."

Suddenly the conversation was disrupted as Caroline returned in a hurry in however, expression worried and frantic, and both men turned immediately to look at her.

"Danny's just had report that there's poachers in the area." She explained. "He needs to get all the animals back and in the holding pens as soon as possible."

"He won't be able to do that by himself." Du Plessi explained. "That's a big job. There's too many of them!"

"I'll go with him." Hibbet offered.

Seeing Du Plessie's expression Caroline cut in immediately. "Not you Du Plessie. You're supposed to be resting!"

Du Plessie let out a mildly disgruntled groan with this. Hibbet smiled.

"I'll see you later!" He called as he raced attentively from the room, hearing Danny's pressing shout to the rest of the family from the hallway. Du Plessie meanwhile glared an array of a million of sharp implements at Caroline.

"And there's no point you looking at me like that Dupe!" She responded. "You need to rest, that's final!"

Dupe sighed, as Caroline grinned maddeningly as she left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Later that same evening the entire family and Hibbet sat around the dinging table on the veranda, overlooking the Southern African landscape and the Trevanion's magnificent array of animals. It had taken Danny, Hibbet and a team of obliging locals half the day to gather all of their stock in safely, but Nomsa had been ready with iced tea, homemade lemonade and cake when they had finally all returned home just a short while after sunset; hungry, exhausted and streaked with dirt and sweat. Now they were feasting on a meal fit to stifle all of their hunger, of steak and potatoes with a mixed green salad, and as Olivia and Evan had finally been retired to bed… much to both of their protests, the conversation had eventually turned to the subject of Leopard's Den's inevitable plight with the poachers. Danny sighed.

"There's going to be many more reports of poachers in the area as news gets around that we're short staffed at the moment." He explained. "More people are going to start taking advantage!"

Du Plessie nodded in agreement at this, as Hibbet glanced from one to the other. "Yeah, but what are we going to do about it?" The older man demanded impatiently. "What can we be expected to do? We haven't got the money to employ anymore staff!"

"Blood pressure!" Caroline warned him, and Du Plessie scowled.

Danny shook his head. "I don't know Dupe." He confessed after a moment. "You're still too ill to return to work... and… to be completely honest… I just don't know…"

"I can help!" Hibbet immediately offered with this however, and suddenly all eyes were turned upon him.

"You Hibbet?" Danny asked quizzically, "How do you mean?"

"Spending the day with you today Danny has made me see just how much you lot could do with a helping hand around this place at the moment." He explained. "You do a fantastic job, but things aren't easy even at the best of times." He continued. "And I know from experience just how trying and wearing that can be… the fact is that you can't continue on like this forever, and who knows when Du Plessie will be fit enough to resume his normal duty… you need help to run this place and keep it from going under." He concluded… "And I'd hate to see a place as magnificent as this go under!"

"So how could you help us Hibbet?" Danny asked, intonation vaguely hopeful, the tone of which he failed to conceal, as the older man's words offered Leopard's Den renewed hope of some sort of salvation.

"I came here today because I'd heard what had happened, and to see if there was anything I could do…" Hibbet continued. "I can take some time off, help you run this place… just until Dupe is back on his feet again…"

Danny smiled. "This is very kind of you Hibbet… but you heard what Du Plessie said… we couldn't afford to pay you…" He explained.

"I'm not asking for money Danny…" Hibbet responded.

"Then why?" It was Du Plesie's turn to ask the questions now.

"Because you're good people." Hibbet turned to his old adversary turned friend with this. "You're good, decent people, doing a good job here… and although I didn't know it, you did me a great favour all those years ago… a favour which I'd like to at least go some way in trying repay… that is, if you'll have me." He offered.

"Have you? Of course we'll have you!" Danny laughed, unable to contain his sheer relief and joy, at the offer Hibbet had just presented them with. "If you're sure…"

"Oh, I'm sure." Hibbet smiled.

Danny grinned, returning the smile enthusiastically, before turning to Du Plesie. "Dupe?" He asked.

"Well… I suppose we could do with the extra help." The older man admitted finally, somewhat less enthusiastic than the young vet himself had been over the offer however. "Not that I'm saying I'm past it… or anything of the sort!" He enforced. "This is only tempory!"

"Perish the thought old man!" Danny beamed.

"Hey, less of the old!" Du Plessie protested, although there was a distinct note of good humour in his voice, and all three men as well as Sarah, Caroline and Nomsa, who'd been standing silently on the outskirts of the conversation since escorting the children to bed, couldn't help but smile.

"Then welcome to the team!" Danny turned to address Hibbet with this, before acknowledging the whole group. "I think this calls for a toast!" He spoke.

"May I do the honours?" Hibbet asked, as the five adults around the table raised their glasses, and Sarah passed Nomsa an empty decanter, topping it up gingerly with the alcoholic liquid.

"Oh, be my guest." Danny invited.

"To Leopard's Den." Hibbet proposed, and he raised the crystal clear goblet in his hand.

"To Leopard's Den." They all chorused, and the chink of glasses was met with a chorus of laughter in the knowledge that the immediate future of Leopard's Den looked a lot more certain and rosier, thanks to the kindness of old friends.


End file.
